Sigil "1.9.20" on "Qt 5.12.9" crashing on "Windows 10"

[DiapDealer]

So far, I've been able to change between language inputs with no trouble using ctrl+1-4 on two different Windows systems. It didn't seem to matter whether or not Sigil's ctrl+1-4 shortcuts were defined. The OS-level shortcuts took precedent.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Pargeo

It’s a built-in Windows thing.

Sadly, it is not a built-in Windows thing. On current Windows 10/11, the only out of the box Windows shortcut keys that use ctrl-1,2,3...9 are used to switch between dialog boxes or to switch between tabs in a browser. Earlier versions of Windows allowed you to assign shortcut keys to switching IMEs but that functionality was lost around the Windows 10 Anniversary update (going by my memory so may not be correct). I did try a couple of utilities such as Keyman to allow remapping the ctrl-1,2,3...9 key combos for the purpose I was using them for but none of them worked reliably especially after opening multiple programs and caused some weird interactions even when it was working.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

So far, I've been able to change between language inputs with no trouble using ctrl+1-4 on two different Windows systems. It didn't seem to matter whether or not Sigil's ctrl+1-4 shortcuts were defined. The OS-level shortcuts took precedent.

Ditto ctrl+1, 2

Originally Posted by DNSB

Sadly, it is not a built-in Windows thing. On current Windows 10/11, the only out of the box Windows shortcut keys that use ctrl-1,2,3...9 are used to switch between dialog boxes or to switch between tabs in a browser. Earlier versions of Windows allowed you to assign shortcut keys to switching IMEs but that functionality was lost around the Windows 10 Anniversary update (going by my memory so may not be correct). I did try a couple of utilities such as Keyman to allow remapping the ctrl-1,2,3...9 key combos for the purpose I was using them for but none of them worked reliably especially after opening multiple programs and caused some weird interactions even when it was working.

If by hotkey keyboard switching you mean this:



Seems to be available in Version 21H2 of Windows 10 Pro. Maybe it's gone with Version 22H2 which I've yet to allow… because I still have no idea what's in it. Until now I have never used the keyboard switch feature, except inadvertently.

Anniversary Edition was 1607 - i.e. August 2016.

BR

[BeckyEbook]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Maybe it's gone with Version 22H2 which I've yet to allow… because I still have no idea what's in it.

I have Windows 10 22H2 and the function in the system still exists.
I can assign keyboard layouts to hotkeys Ctrl+1, 2 etc.
However, the problem in Sigil does not occur.

[DiapDealer]

In earlier versions of Windows 10, the Advanced Key Settings could be found in the Control Panel. At some point, they were moved and buried deeper within the Settings app, but they are still there.

[KevinH]

@Pargeo

If 4 people with 4 different Windows systems can use Ctrl+2 ... to switch keyboards successfully with no hangs or crashes with Sigil, then most likely this has probably something to do with a keyboard utility or driver that uses an older version of Qt but does not properly hide those symbols. That is why you are seeing this issue with just Sigil as it is probably the only other Qt based software you have running at that time.

Are you installing a particular keyboard driver or a keyboard related shell extensions into your Desktop Windows machine and Virtual machine systems?

Is there any way to boot your system into safe mode to temporarily disable your third party extensions to test for that.

Unless ... all of this was somehow fixed on the Windows side of things by an update they have but you do not?

Anything else you can tell us that might help someone recreate what you are seeing?

[Pargeo]

Originally Posted by KevinH

@Pargeo

If 4 people with 4 different Windows systems can use Ctrl+2 ... to switch keyboards successfully with no hangs or crashes with Sigil, then most likely this has probably something to do with a keyboard utility or driver that uses an older version of Qt but does not properly hide those symbols. That is why you are seeing this issue with just Sigil as it is probably the only other Qt based software you have running at that time.

Are you installing a particular keyboard driver or a keyboard related shell extensions into your Desktop Windows machine and Virtual machine systems?

Is there any way to boot your system into safe mode to temporarily disable your third party extensions to test for that.

Unless ... all of this was somehow fixed on the Windows side of things by an update they have but you do not?

Anything else you can tell us that might help someone recreate what you are seeing?

I gave up trying safe mode on my systems because both Windows installations (one is Windows 10 Pro that came from the machine, and the other one is out-of-the-box Windows 10 Home edition (UK version) both exhibit the same behaviour and they are totally different systems, with every update and every patch installed. The only common thing between these systems is Trados Studio 2019 installed on both of them, but it's a 32-bit system, and both Windows installations are 64-bit. (whether this Trados Studio is Qt based, I don't know.)
There aren't any other commonalities between them, except that they both have Ctrl+1 mapped to switch to UK English, Ctrl+2 to Russian and Ctrl+3 to Italian using standard Windows 10 functions.
Unfortunately, CTRL+ switches apparently don't work in Safe Mode (and I couldn't even start Safe Mode on my desktop, because my keyboard doesn't work in Safe Mode, so I cannot log in.

[DiapDealer]

You keep mentioning a keyboard that doesn't seem to work in Safe Mode. Are both Windows systems using the same keyboard/driver?

[KevinH]

This is so strange.

The issue must be something common between your VM and your Desktop given others are not seeing the crashes/hangs at all on similar Windows machines.

So can you use Parallels to save your Windows VM image, and then go through a complete uninstall of Trados Studio (and all its components and extensions) on your VM and reboot and try again. If it still exhibits the hang, then we can rule Trados out, and either way you can easily revert to your saved Parallels VM image to restore your setup to its previous state.

The reason is that Trados being a CAT (lang translation) tool that depends on language, may have added system extensions that listen for keyboard changes or define their own keyboard shortcuts.

Ruling it out means I can try with my local mac to match your exact setup (minus Trados) on a Parallels Windows 10 VM.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

In earlier versions of Windows 10, the Advanced Key Settings could be found in the Control Panel. At some point, they were moved and buried deeper within the Settings app, but they are still there.

I seem to remember it being moved to a Typing entry in Settings and then that disappearing. Using Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 22H2 (I think this started around build 17083), the easiest way to get to those key settings is to use:

Rundll32 Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL input.dll,,{C07337D3-DB2C-4D0B-9A93-B722A6C106E2}

I should have made my comment that this is not an out of the box setting clearer. The user has to enable and setup those key settings. Perhaps testing ctrl-shift- or left-alt-shift- to see if the issue still occurs might help to see if it is a conflict with another program.

[DiapDealer]

Still able to easily do it from the Settings app on my 22H2 system.

[butterfly68za]

Greetings

My Sigil install is not related to the above, but it just randomly shuts down. Mostly when I double click to open a page to edit. I've gotten into the habit of saving before doing most actions. Win 11 22H2.

What if you to add a feature that the software auto saves every few minutes?

[KevinH]

It is not needed with a normal stable Windows system (nor Linux nor mac). You just need to find the shell extension or system utility that is making your system unstable.

That is the whole point we have been making in this thread.

Sigil is stable for just about everyone, and doesn't have any open crash issues. This is proven by the many people who use Sigil every day and report no issues. Even in this thread.

Have you tried shutting off all 3rd party shell extensions and drivers to test things?

[theducks]

you might want to run a SFC (system file check) on your system.
I have found many so called 'helper' apps tend to do the reverse in the end as the can also (unintentionally) interfere with other uses.

There was a time, everybody (the sites) wanted to install helper toolbars on your browser (data mine or site steerage or even plain ole malicious). The system got so bad that a higher end (for the time) one, crawled.

I run (to my knowledge ) pretty much Vanilla at the OS level and relegate the add-ons to specific apps like Sigil and Calibre.

[KevinH]

Also, if this behaviour started after a Windows update, my guess is they have broken your graphics driver. Go to Sigil Preferences under General Settings and disable using your GPU Graphics Acceleration and save the settings and restart Sigil.

Then test to see if that fixes your issues.